The night before my birthday, I went to bed earlier than usual, around 9 pm. Yet, my rest was disrupted by the echoes of a haunting dream that had plagued me weeks prior. In that dream, my existence seemed forgotten, my birthday a mere whisper lost in the void, unacknowledged by greetings or well-wishes.


Disoriented, I reached for my phone, its dim glow revealing the hour – 1 am. Six messages adorned my inbox, like fireflies in the digital night. Curiosity piqued, I unveiled their senders: rhye, tin2, jen, and nerissa – friends whose names carried the weight of cherished bonds.


"Metats nakuman karela! Haha!" their words danced across the screen, a playful acknowledgment of their late-night vigil.


Their messages dispelled the lingering shadows of that ominous dream, reassuring me that I was not forgotten, that someone cared, someone remembered. Their words were a soothing balm, a reminder that even in the depths of the night, friendship's warmth could illuminate the path.
***

The morning sun peeked through the curtains, casting a warm glow on my face. It was my birthday, but the air felt heavy, like a weight pressing down on my chest. In our humble abode, the occasion seemed to pass by like any other day, unnoticed and unremarkable. Same as with previous ones “parang wala lang pag birthday ko, sa bahay naming. Hay! Napataas ko pa presyon ng tata ko bago ako umalis ng bahay”.

As I made my way to school, the streets greeted me with a familiar sight – a shallow pool of water, a remnant of the night's rain. My carefully chosen corporate attire, a symbol of my aspirations, now threatened to be tarnished by the puddles. The cost of transportation, a constant burden, weighed heavily on my mind.

Yet, amidst the challenges, a glimmer of joy emerged within the school's walls. Warm greetings and a generous addition to my exam score (+20) from the ever-gracious Ma'am Ganda brought a smile to my face. "At least something good happened today, right?" I mused, grateful for the small blessings.


Some had forgotten the significance of this day, the transition from my teenage years to adulthood. But when they realized, they made amends, offering belated well-wishes and gestures of kindness.


As the day drew to a close, I found myself lost in contemplation. "Can you believe it? It feels like just yesterday I was thirteen! Now it's the last year of being a teenager" I chuckled, reminiscing about the fleeting nature of time. The weight of adulthood loomed ahead, but for now, I savored the lingering moments of youth.